Mr. Agbayani decides
that the back half of the house
is safe for now,
and when everyone
is settled, he drives me
to the shop.
Before I go,
Malia walks me to the car.
Can you believe this day?
She tries to sound funny.
I laugh because, as always,
something about her makes
me feel like everything is actually okay.
Everything we’ve done,
all the arguments,
the practices,
itchiness,
silence,
worry,
and even the ancient magic clay,
all seems a little silly now
with everything crumbled away,
like suddenly none of it
matters at all.
But it has to matter, doesn’t it?
It has to mean something.
Malia grabs my hand.
Thank you, Etan,
for being part of my plan,
for sharing your secrets with me.
She points to her empty Tic Tac container.
It worked, didn’t it?
I mean, it really, really worked.
I think to myself: I don’t know how it worked,
but it seems like something did.
And then she hugs me
like she’s my family.